We are watching flights to Greece in Sept/Oct.
We did this last year. Doubt whether we will go this fall. Economy seats. Toronto-Athens return booked today is less expensive that it was when we shopped last year. Last year it was just under $1100. Booked today it would be $805. We shopped this fare but decided to do an open jaw return from London because we were not exactly sure where we would end up.
The open jaw that we eventually booked was Toronto- Athens, London-Calgary. Same time of year Sept/Oct. Same airline...Transat. Last year the fare was $740. Booked today that fare is $860. Last year we booked in August for a Sept flight. We looked at the fare a few days prior to our departure last year and it was the same.
Who knows what the price will be if you go. And if we do go, we will probably not book until a week or so prior to departure. If not, perhaps the spring.
We have also been looking at Calgary-Bangkok return fares mid Jan-mid March. Fares at the present time, economy, are very much in line with the past several winters. Various carriers. $1050-1150
Greece has done very well in terms of containing the virus ian and as I have posted here before, in some places (islands) they have not even had one positive case since day one.
However, I would suggest you consider the other possibilities. Insurance and the ability to return home. Remember, when the pandemic struck and numbers started to climb, ALL flights by Air Transat and others, were suddenly cancelled with no alternatives offered. In the event of a second waver starting up, that could happen again.
Currently, it looks like if you fly from Canada to Athens, you will face a mandatory test and overnight stay in Athens until the test results come back. Then if you test negative you would be allowed to travel on to Crete but must then self-isolate for 7 days there. If you test positive, you will face mandatory quarantine for 14 days in Athens.
The reopening date for all tourists to Greece has been brought forward–to June 15. But as Greece in the words of Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, gets set to "welcome the world", tourists from high-risk countries including the U.K. and U.S. face Covid-19 testing and up to two weeks quarantine.
www.forbes.com
Another factor to consider is what will you be doing when you get there? It will not be a question of everything is open and there being no restrictions.
Greece banks on its low coronavirus rate and a long list of new safety rules to lure visitors back to its tourism hotspots.
www.bbc.com
Somehow sitting on a beach with plexiglass screens all around me does not hold much appeal. Or if I think about Rhodes where I used to live, I cannot imagine somewhere like Lindos being allowed to operate as in the past, with narrow streets of tourist shops, bars and restaurants jammed with people. While bars and restaurants will be open, it will not be as before, distancing restrictions will still apply. Given their response to the virus so far, I would expect any outbreak would result in a quick shut down of the area.
If the plan is to get there and stay in a self-catering type of accommodation with little interaction with other people, then that might be OK, but as a past resident, I have to say that a big part of enjoying the Greek culture is the evenings spent in a restaurant/bar meeting other travellers and locals. I wouldn't want to visit Rhodes for example if I couldn't do that. When I think about what I would do if I were willing to go, pretty much everything would be very limited. It just wouldn't be the same at all.
